1. Field of the Invention
With reference to the classification of art as established in and by the United States Patent Office the present invention is believed to be found in the General Class entitled, "Buttons, Buckles, Clamps, Etc." (Class 24) and more particularly to the subclass entitled, "Strap-end-attaching devices" (subclass 265).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of wrist watches and replaceable bands are more than a half century old. The wrist watch required replacement or exchange of bands for many reasons. Replacement or exchange by the jeweler attendant needs and uses a pin post or cross bar with a spring means adapted to urge the pin ends thereof into holes in ear portions of the watch case. Many attempts have been made for providing retaining means for these pins as they are placed within the hook or loop formed in each end of the strap.
A careful pre-Ex search of the art found that the problem of retaining a pin in the loop or end of the band has not been solved. Although spring pins are well known, they are a very loose fit in the loops formed in the end of the band. These pins being of small size and having spring means often are lost during inserting and securing the band to the watch. Three patents of note are U.S. Pat. No. 1,696,577 to KESTENMANN as issued on Dec. 25, 1928; U.S. Pat. No. 1,704,795 to HEILMAN as issued Mar. 12, 1929 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,511 to SAND as issued Jan. 27, 1959. In these and other concepts, either patented or used by the industry, the use of an expansible sleeve to hold the spring actuated pins in place is not known.